Lee Westwood of England tees off on the 633-yard par-five third hole during a practice round for the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., on Aug. 11. Hazeltine National's 7,674 yard course is the longest ever for a major golf tournament.

CHASKA, Minn.  Hazeltine National, where the PGA Championship begins today, is the longest course in major championship history at 7,674 yards.

It has four par-5s that stretch almost 1.5 miles combined.

"There's never been a time when you faced four par-5s this long," said Tom Lehman, the 1996 British Open champion. "It really puts a premium on driving the ball. If you miss a tee shot and end up in thick rough or a bad lie in the bunker, it becomes a driver and whatever it takes to get in position to hit a 3-iron into the green. … If you get the tee shot out of position, you may not be able to reach the green in three."

At most courses that host majors, the par-5s are the scoring holes where top players — especially the long hitters — expect to grab an advantage.

The par-5s here are: No. 3, 633 yards; No. 7, 572 yards; No. 11, 606 yards; and No. 15, 642 yards. The PGA's Kerry Haigh, who sets up the course, is expected to mix up the yardages in response to the wind, which could blow 20 mph Friday and Saturday.

Haigh wants one par-5 that gives the players a chance to reach the green in two shots, and that's most likely No. 7. From the forward tee it would shrink to 520 yards, a distance that is reachable for most touring pros.

"You're still going to be thinking birdie off the tee, but the only hole you're going to reach in two shots is 7," Phil Mickelson said after a practice round Wednesday. "For a lot of people, none of the par-5s will be reachable in two."

Mickelson doesn't have much enthusiasm for the other par-5s.

"No reason to go for it on 3," he said, adding he'd play a 3-wood off the tee, a 4- or 5-iron short of the green and a wedge to the green.

As for 11 and 15, he said, "They're just long. You can't reach them in two, but there is an advantage to getting up close to the green on your second shot."

Hazeltine, which opened in 1962, was built by Robert Trent Jones. His son Rees Jones has remodeled it repeatedly, adding length and bunkers that will challenge this generation of powerful touring pros.

"The hardest thing for an architect to do is make par-5s for modern players," Jones said, "because they hit the ball so far."

Jones believes par-5s should be five-shot holes — three to the green and two putts.

"What we try to do is make the players have to think on their second shots," he said. "They have to place the ball on the second shot where they can access the hole from the proper angle."

Jones' advice this week is to watch for players with good short games to score well.

"People like Zach Johnson and Mike Weir— they aren't the longest hitters, but they are good wedge players," Jones said.

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